Landlord removes front door over late rent - woman uses closet door to cover opening for 4 days

[Demovictory9]

https://fox59.com/news/landlord-removes-front-door-over-late-rent-after-woman-loses-job-during-pandemic/

?w=1280

ENTON, Mo. (KTVI) — A Missouri woman said her landlord took off her front door because she was two months late on rent, but a local attorney says that violates a state statute.

Hannah McGee lost her restaurant job due to COVID-19 and is behind on her rent, totaling $1,000 owed to her landlord. She said she’s lived in her Fenton apartment for three years without any issues, and her mom has rented the apartment next door for the last 13 years.

“He’s always been a good landlord. I guess it just took one slipup,” McGee said. “I’ve lived here without a problem, no incidents whatsoever. I’ve been on time every month, but since COVID happened, I lost my job. I was working in a restaurant.”

McGee put her closet doors in front of the space where the front door used to be to try and trap heat inside. “At night, it gets definitely really cold,” she said. “It’s kind of unbearable without it.”

Her 4-year-old daughter is spending the nights next door with her grandmother, whom she calls Nana, to stay warm.

https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/outpouring-of-support-for-fenton-woman-after-landlord-removed-her-front-door/

According to McGee, a series of events—a broken-down car and losing her job due to the pandemic—left her two months behind in rent owing $1,000.

“He did it without a word,” she said. “I just went off to make a phone call to try and collect rent for him and he went and took my door. So, for four days I was without a door. It was cold in here.”

McGee used closet doors to try and block the opening. A friend started a GoFundMe page for Hannah and her 4-year-old daughter Evy.

Since Monday evening, the page has raised thousands of dollars.

“Then yesterday, you guys came out and did your story and I woke up to good news this morning,” says McGee. “For one, the landlord said the buyer trying to buy this property told him to put the door back on.”

By Monday night, the door was returned. And on Tuesday morning, the generosity of others surprised the young mom.

“Then I woke up and saw the GoFundMe is doing well and there’s enough for me to pay up on my rent and buy a new car and hopefully get a new place for me and Evy,” McGee said. “So, I’m stoked today.”

And a whole lot warmer after spending four days without a front door.

[James48]

1. Illegal most places.

I can’t imagine any state allowing that. Sounds like a good court case. Sue the landlord for the four days of cold.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

2. WTF?! Removed the door?!

That sounds like a lawsuit.

The young drug-dealer who used to live next to me, before he was shot and killed at a parking lot, had the locks changed on his doors because the landlord isn't insane. Twelve people (I counted them) were squatting in that one-bedroom apartment when he knocked on their door and told them to leave within two hours or the cops would force them out for trespassing. (Only the murdered tenant was on the lease.)

[Old Crow]

3. With stories like this all over the country, where the heck is that 2nd stimulus check?

WTF. Not sure how Washington expects people in the restaurant and tourism businesses to survive.

[Grokenstein]

4. (Mitch purses lips and smiles that creepy smile)

"They'll blame 'both sides'," he sneers.

[Demovictory9]

7. "Lips"?

[Grokenstein]

8. Well, he SORT of has some.

Let's say, "the edges of his mouth."

[Calculating]

9. I guess they expect them to get different jobs

Because those aren't coming back anytime soon.

[Flaleftist]

11. The stock market is doing fine, so the GOp doesn't give a shit.

[Chainfire]

5. There was a local slum lord, and church deacon, now dead

who used to brag about the same tactic. If the door wouldn't do it, he would remove the windows, "for repair." He laughed that it was much faster than eviction proceedings and claimed that Florida law allowed him to do that kind of "maintenance."

[cwydro]

6. I hope that landlord is identified.

That’s unconscionable.

[Xolodno]

10. Probably illegal...but not only that...

If she was robbed and kept her insurance up to date. The insurance company will pay the claim and then immediately sue the landlord, shit, the judge could even hit him with punitive fines.